OCPAC Gets Grant to Aid Its Web Site

American Express has given the Orange County Performing Arts Center $100,000 to upgrade its Web site, https://www.ocpac.org.

Center officials will plan improvements, then hire an expert to implement them, said Todd Bentjen, vice president of marketing and communications. “Hopefully we’ll have a big roll-out when the new site is ready,” he said.

One hoped-for improvement is an expanded database of customers and a system of targeting potential ticket-buyers with e-mail alerts about shows that might interest them.

The growing impact of the Internet was evident in the recent run of the musical “Rent,” Bentjen said. Of about 20,000 tickets sold for the eight performances, 4,500 were bought via the Web site, compared to 3,200 telephone sales.

“Rent” appeals to a generally younger, more Internet-oriented audience than most center programs, Bentjen said. On average, about 15% to 20% of the center’s ticket orders are made via Internet. Phone sales are somewhat larger.

The Web site grant comes from the American Express Performing Arts Fund, established in 1997 to help organizations build their audiences. This is the center’s first grant from the fund.